WebWord.com Newsletter Issue #39

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ISSUE #39

16-January-2000

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                WebWord.com Newsletter
              "Usability & the Internet"
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                      List Owner 
                    John S. Rhodes 
                   John@WebWord.com
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January 16, 2000                    Newsletter #39
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Table of Contents

1. An Inside View of Fatbrain's eMatter
2. How Useful is "Cool"?
3. Reader Feedback: Wal-mart.com
4. Reader Feedback: Poor User Experience 
5. What Can You Find at WebWord.com?


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ITEM #1

A new WebWord.com interview is now online:
--> http://webword.com/interviews/kirkpatrick.html

"An Inside View of Fatbrain's eMatter"

Judy Kirkpatrick is the Vice President and General 
Manager of Fatbrain's eMatter division. eMatter is
a secure digital publishing model that allows 
publishers and authors to publish and sell works 
online. It is a rather interesting concept. 

I asked Judy a variety of questions, such as:

- How have authors reacted to eMatter? 
- How have readers reacted to eMatter? 
- What eMatter is most likely to succeed? What makes 
  a great e-book? 
- What is the eMatter business model?

There is plenty to learn from this interview, 
especially if you are interested in online writing, 
publishing, or online content.

You can read the interview here:
--> http://webword.com/interviews/kirkpatrick.html


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ITEM #2

How Useful is "Cool"?

This is just a side note. Designers love to design.
I greatly appreciate their work. It opens up 
opportunities to improve the customer experience.
But, "cool" for the sake of cool isn't worth much
to me. I found a site that uses a little script to
create a crosshair effect on the page. 

>> http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Orchard/6104/

I suppose there might be some uses for this effect, 
but not many. Can folks think of ways that scripts
like this actually improve the customer experience?
How can such an effect help users do what they need
to do on a web site? Is the appeal of the effect so
great that it is worth using it? Are we dealing with
an instance where just because it is possible, it
should be done?

Designers: Don't hate me. Help me understand the value
of this script. I want to be able to help others know
how to effectively use it, and others like it.

Send me an email >> john@webword.com


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ITEM #3

Reader Feedback: Wal-mart.com 

In the last newsletter, I had some comments about the
new Wal-Mart.com web site. 
>> http://www.webword.com/archive/issue038.html

Here is some feedback from M.M. about it:

  "Thought your recent WebWord info on Walmart was
  interesting.  I tried to make my first purchase on
  the site last week and after filling out all info, 
  and clicking 'submit', I received an error.  I tried   
  to report it, but my browser timed out.  So I had to   
  go to their contact form.  I filled it out and have    
  not yet heard a word back.  So I called their 800     
  number and the customer service rep said that my   
  order had not gone through.  He said they're having   
  lots of technical difficulties with their site right   
  now.  I said they should post that, or take the thing   
  down -- especially if they aren't going to quickly   
  return e-mail inquiries.  He offered no apologies -- 
  just said I should try again.  I told him to forget    
  that....if I'm not sure my order's going to go   
  through, I'm not going to waste my time again.

  "10 days after submitting a request for information    
  on the site, and I have still not heard back.  The   
  contact page says they'll be in touch soon or as 
  quickly as possible (or something similiar).  If 10+   
  days is 'quick', Walmart hasn't figured out Internet   
  time yet. I'm a regular online shopper and a Web     
  developer, so I know things happen and am probably   
  more patient than some people.  But this is   
  ridiculous."

Other thoughts or comments? Send me an email about it.
>> john@webword.com


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ITEM #4

Reader Feedback: Poor User Experience 

A note from Chris Worth of ChrisWorth.com:

  "A while back, despite its poor interface and 
  unnecessary coding skills it demands, I signed up 
  for a personallly-branded newsfeed at iSyndicate.

  "These guys don't really get it - not letting you put 
  the headlines on your home page, etc etc. That's why 
  I've now switched to moreover.com. iSyndicate makes 
  it difficult to leave though, so I didn't bother 
  unsubscribing from their newsletters, and recently I 
  logged back into their site to read this:

  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
  NOTE: If you have headline pages created using our 
  EZ Editor or Pro Editor, please note that as of 
  February 1st, 2000 we will no longer support these 
  editors. Unfortunately, you will need to create your 
  headline blocks again using our new editor. If you 
  have questions regarding your account, please email
  support@isyndicate.com.
  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

  "Let's get this straight. I invest over an hour 
  setting my newsfeeds with their editor, and they 
  can't even write a few scripts to convert my choices 
  into their new editor? Sheesh." 

Comments? Ideas? Do you have an experience you'd like
to share? Imagine this problem applied to hundreds or
thousands of users. A small script would save the day.
Email me at john@webword.com with your comments.

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ITEM #5

What Can You Find at WebWord.com?

Articles (Moving WebWord)
<http://webword.com/moving/>

Expert Interviews 
<http://webword.com/interviews/> 

Recommended Books
<http://webword.com/books/booksindex.html>

Newsletter Archive
<http://webword.com/archive>

Usability Reports 
<http://webword.com/reports>

Recommended Web Sites
<http://webword.com/hotsites.html>

Free Stuff
<http://webword.com/freestuff.html>

Friends
<http://webword.com/friends.html>


---- End of WebWord.com Usability Newsletter #39 ------

(c)1998-99 by John S. Rhodes. All rights reserved.

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